Eclipsed Rebellion

If you think being the Moon Goddess’s daughter is everything it’s cracked up to be—well, too bad. News flash: it’s not all starlight and shimmering glory, where everyone does what you say. Right now, it mostly involved me being stranded on an asteroid with a busted chariot—sigh—yes, a busted chariot, and a whole lot of questions about my life choices and regrets deep enough to fill a black hole. “Well,” I said to no one. “Guess I really nailed this one.” I shuffled my feet in the dust, staring at the wreck like it might suddenly fix itself. “You thought this would be cool,” I muttered. “Turns out stealing the chariot just makes you look like a cosmic idiot.” My eyes followed the destruction—splintered beams, shredded silver, shards of the chariot lodged so deep in the moon’s crust you’d think I’d thrown them like javelins. One of the wheels sat off to the side, bent and useless, like it had just given up on life entirely. It looked broken beyond repair. I yanked a tiny shard of the chariot out of my hair, eyed it, then flicked it into the void. “Excuses, excuses. What could I say to make this believable?” My hands worked on autopilot, brushing stardust off my gown as my brain spun through every bad idea I’d ever had. I was sure my mother already knew about this. But what could I tell her to make her believe me? It’s not like I could just say, Oops, I broke the moon chariot, without suffering the consequences. “Okay, think. A rogue asteroid?” I muttered, squinting at the stars as if they would offer me advice. “No, that’s stupid. Everyone knows asteroids don’t go rogue.” I groaned, rubbing my temples. I sighed. “Why couldn’t one little cosmic rock just break the rules for once and save my ass?” Or… space turbulence. Do we even have space turbulence? Nooo, I got it. I could blame it on a passing comet. Genius. It was perfect—no way she’d believe I did it. I looked out at the ethereal landscape that stretched endlessly before me. A vast glowing expanse filled with stardust rivers flowing endlessly. The sky was filled with stars that bowed to my mother and those who lived in gravity-defying palaces. The world my mother created was perfect, yet here I was—a contrast to her majestic world, a rebellious disappointment. Everywhere I went, it was like I was walking in her shadow. People thought I didn’t hear their whispers—how they wondered how the Moon Goddess could have a daughter so reckless and dangerous. Some even went so far as to believe she adopted me. But all I ever wanted was to be free, to live my own life and have fun, rather than being restricted by the expectations of the Moon Goddess’s perfect daughter. I didn’t want to walk in my mother’s shadow. I wanted to live my own life and make my own choices. Was that really so much to ask? Stars glittered, planets aligned, and yet here I was, unable to go a single week without getting grounded. Truly, the family disappointment. I blinked, eyes widening as I took a step back. A flash of lunar light flared before me. “Oh, fantastic. The Queen of Disapproval has arrived. I wonder how long I’ll get to live before the smiting begins,” I muttered. “Selene, explain why my chariot is in pieces?” Xylia asked, her voice calm but carrying a deadly edge. It was like watching a hurricane politely ask if it could destroy your house. Seriously, did she practice that dramatic entrance in her free time? Oh look, I’m glowing and perfect as usual, meanwhile I’m covered in dust and bad decisions. If this doesn’t scream perfect Moon Goddess’s daughter, I don’t know what does. “Honestly, Mother,” I said, feigning innocence. “I think the asteroid just… jumped in front of me. Real reckless, those rocks.” Was that the excuse I came up with? It sounded even worse out loud. Xylia arched a brow. “You realize this is your fourth cosmic crash this millennium?” “You’re counting? That’s adorable.” I faked a smile and batted my eyelashes like I was completely innocent. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at me like I’d just thrown the moon into the sun. I was sure I’d wrecked her favorite toy, but this was hardly an apocalypse-level disaster. “Listen, Selene, I don’t know what more I can say.” Mom sighed. “You were rebellious as a child, and you have not changed. You need to understand—you are no longer a child. You are the Moon Goddess’s daughter.” Where was this going? She’d never said that before. Something bigger was at play. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m grounded as usual and sent straight to my…” I muttered, holding up my hands in defense, submitting to her judgment. “Earth,” Mom said. “…Wait. Earth?” I stared at her. Did I hear that right? Earth? That chaotic mudball where people think wolves howling at the moon is, like, a magical event? This had to be a joke. “There are literally a billion other ways to punish me, Mom. Make me polish stars for a century or something. But Earth? That’s just cruel.” I mean, I am her daughter. She wouldn’t really— “There are lessons you must learn,” she said, but what she really meant was: You are an embarrassment, and I’m dumping you in the middle of nowhere until you figure out how to be less annoying. Thanks, Mom. Love you too. “You will learn as a mortal. Among wolves.” Mortal? No powers? Among wolves who howl at every full moon like we owe them something? She had to be kidding. She wouldn’t really send me to Earth, right? I was her only daughter. She wouldn’t dare. I chuckled internally, but a knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach. My mother had lost her mind. I glanced back at the wreckage behind her—the cause of all this. What had I been thinking? “Mom, this feels excessive—I mean, there are literally a billion ways to punish me.” “There is more to this than you understand. You will thank me someday,” she said. “There are lessons you must learn, not as a goddess, but as something far more… mortal.” Before I could protest, she waved her hand. A rush of energy slammed into me, the cosmic world shifting violently. Everything blurred, and in a blink, the celestial world vanished—replaced by a dense forest under a silver moon. The air smelled of pine and damp earth. Towering trees stretched endlessly, their shadows pooling beneath the glowing moon. I glanced at my hands—only, they weren’t my hands. My powers felt distant. Something was wrong. I was trapped in a mortal body—or rather… a wolf’s body. I had never been in a wolf’s body before—what the heck was my mother thinking? This was beyond cruel. With a huff, I tried to walk, only to faceplant onto the ground. Wait… I didn’t feel the ground. My paws didn’t touch anything. I looked down. Was I... floating? I stood, glancing back at my paws. Something felt off. I really hoped I was wrong. With a shake of my head, I dug at the dirt—but it didn’t move. Great. I’m not just a wolf. I’m a dead wolf. A dead wolf that couldn’t even walk properly in wolf form, even as a ghost. I wandered until I came across a pack. With some observation, I realized they were holding a funeral. I hid behind a tree—then paused. Wait. Why am I hiding? It’s not like they can see me. Stepping forward, I walked to the coffin. My ghostly paw rested on its edge as I peeked inside. A dead wolf lay inside. It took me a moment. Then it hit me. My paws looked just like the ones in the coffin. Wait… am I the dead wolf? …And now they were burying me? This was officially the weirdest day of my life—and I had been to Jupiter’s karaoke night. With a wolfish gasp, I lifted my head—only to lose my balance and crash onto all fours. The coffin tipped, falling off the stand and shattering against the ground. Silence. It didn’t take long for me to notice I wasn’t like other wolves. I was… alive. Again. Flashes of light flickered through my mind—fur flowing faintly, shimmering as if it had been dipped in starlight. It was something like my mother’s aura. I shook my head, trying to focus. I can do this. I am Selene, the Moon Goddess’s daughter. The second most powerful being after my mom. I took a step forward. One paw. Two paws. Nope. That was my face in the dirt. You would think walking would be easier now that I was alive again, but nope. Dead or alive, I still sucked at this. If this was some kind of cosmic joke, I wasn’t laughing. Wait a second… What happened to the solemn howling and funeral vibes? I glanced around, scanning the wolves. It took a moment, but then it clicked. They had lowered their heads, ears pinned back. Lips curling, teeth bared. Fantastic. First day on Earth, and I was already about to get eaten. Way to go, Selene.